Half Marathon - Check!

Two weeks ago I ran my very first half marathon! That's 13.1 miles and I did it in 2 hours and 31 minutes. My family and friends stood on the sidelines and cheered me on at various points of the run, which was amazing (especially since it was cold and raining). I am quite proud of myself, and would love to run another one again someday. It was a lot of fun and such an accomplishment to know that I'm capable of running for that length of time. Honestly, I still can't believe I did it!

If you would have asked me a year ago if I could run 13 .1 miles, I would have said something to the tune of "Do you KNOW me?! The only athletic bones in my body were likely injured during my 14 years of cheerleading." When I began this journey nine months ago, I didn't even like running. I could hardly run one mile without being extremely exhausted. What a difference a great training regimen makes.

I ran a 5K yesterday, and it was my first time running again since the half, and it felt great! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to get back on the track and do more long distance runs!

A visitor in our Sunday School class last week heard that I ran the half and asked if I was a runner. Having never been asked that question in my entire life, I paused, thought for a moment and said...."Well, I guess I am."

Thanks for your support, friends!
B

The Race is (Almost) On

These are the shoes that will take me across the finish line of my very first Half Marathon. I'm feeling a mix of emotions about the big day, but above all I'm ready for it to get here (Memorial Park: I will NOT miss seeing you at 5 A.M.) I have no doubts that I'll be able to finish the 13.1 miles, and I'm praying for no injuries or illness over the next two weeks. This has been such a challenging and rewarding experience so far, and I've learned that you can truly do ANYTHING you put your mind and body to! No task is too big for me and God to tackle together!

I'm looking forward to crossing that finish line in 14 days!
Brittney

The Art of Racing in the Rain

My book club just finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. And while I honestly haven't loved every book that the Chapter Chicks has read, I can honestly say I LOVED this one! I also loved the rich discussion about the book!

The story is told through the perspective of the family dog, Enzo, as he reflects on his life with his human family. Enzo lives with Denny, who is single for awhile, then marries and has a daughter. Enzo's perspective is insightful, and it truly makes you wonder, "Hmmm...does my dog think this way, too?" If you have a dog, had a dog, or just love dogs, its a must read! Prepare to laugh, cry, fume, and smile - you won't be able to put this one down!

Happy Reading!

How about a resolution?

I always feel compelled to make a few resolutions, you know, get into the New Year's Spirit. Heck, I even kept a few of the ones I made last year, and broke a few as well. There's a lot to be said for ambition, right?

This year, I hope to run a half marathon (which I'll cross off on January 30), have more date nights with J, and take more time for myself. And, ok, I'll throw in the "lose 10 pounds" one, too.

Happy New Year, everyone!

B

Pictures from December Festivities

Sorry for the picture overload....these are some of the pictures from our Christmas festivities this year! As you can see, I was one busy girl!

Me and Hannah at the Chapter Chicks Book Club Christmas Tea!

Our first annual girls Christmas Party! The theme was scarves! We did a "white elephant" style exchange and then learned new ways to tie our scarves!!

Jeremy and I hosted our first big Christmas Party - here I am with the "Fab 4" - Kim, Carl & Josh

Some of my work BFF's - Kim, Leah and Hannah

My BFF's - Jenna and Jessica! We were reunited for the party!

I had a blast performing in the Really, Really Big Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church! I was a towns-person (dancer) and it was so much fun! Especially loved meeting new friends and spending lots of time with one of my favorite friends - Joy (front row, far right)!

Me and Leah! So glad we did the show together!

J and I's attempt at a family photo! Eh...not so much.

The same weekend of the show, we hosted my Louisiana side of the family for Adams Family Christmas. Here I am with my dad, and brothers, Jack and Hall!

The couples posed by the tree! Meet my beautiful sister-in-laws, Katherine and Misti (Katherine is due with the first baby for the Adams family in April - and it's a GIRL)!
I set the table all fancy for our Adams Christmas Dinner! So much fun!
A close-up of the place settings
Ahhh.....let's all take a moment and drool over my Christmas present from J! He totally outdid himself this year and completely surprised me with this Tory Burch purse! I wanted it, but never in a million years did I think he would get it for me... I teared up when I opened it. I'm in love...Me and my FIL at the Ford Family Christmas Eve Party!
Jeremy and his brother Kevin (they got matching paintings from Collin & Melanie for Christmas...we later found out it was a "joke" gift from their wine and painting night...whew!)

Me and Brayden (our nephew and godchild) hanging out with Pops :)

Brayden loves for you to read to him! And he loves his Uncle Jeremy!

And, I'll leave you with pictures of our house all decorated for Christmas! J did a great job with the lights outside!

Love our Christmas tree!

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas!
B

Well, hello there....

I know you don't want to hear any lame excuses about my lack of blogging lately, so I won't bore you with them. I will give you a run down, however, of what I've been up to lately, and just some of my random thoughts! Then, I'll follow up with some pics over the next few days!

- Christmas with the Adams' family (hosted here at our house) last weekend; lots of cooking, catching up and laughs!
- Christmas with J's family in Baton Rouge this week; lots of fun, gifts, parties, people and great memories! A little exhausting....
- Performed in the Really, Really Big Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church and had a blast! I'll post pictures of it, it was such a moving experience and I got to hangout with/meet really great people!
- Hosted our first Christmas Party at the house and it was SO fun! Lots of fun stories from that night, and got to show off our new casa to our friends and family!
- Training for the 1/2 marathon still (absolutely NO pictures will be posted of it) - farthest run so far is 8 miles....less than 40 days to go! Boy, is it a lot of work and time!
- Obsessed with reading on my new Kindle (I think I'll actually have my book club book read before our meeting this month!)
- Studying to get my CDL....don't laugh! Someone has to drive my cheerleaders to away games, people. I'll be spending the better part of my week, unfortunately, at the DPS.
- Also obsessed with scarves....my answer to the daily dilemma of "what necklace should I wear"
- Also majorly obsessed with the Tory Burch purse J surprised me with for Christmas! L-O-V-E it! He got lots of brownie points for that one!
- Loving the color gray this season - it just seems to go with everything!

....more to come, later.

Continued to be blessed beyond measure.
B

So, I've been MIA

I really do want to keep up blogging, not that you can tell from my absence here lately! Let me tell you where I've been, though if you know me at all, you can probably guess the first two!

1. SBS Cheer! Football season is in full swing, so that means Friday night football games, pep rallies, volleyball games and daily practices! It's been a great year so far! I'm obsessed with my 15 girls and truly feel honored to coach them daily!

2. LSU - it's been a wild ride so far (except for tonight's Auburn loss...boo)! We've had fun traveling to BR for games!

3. I'm applying for provisional membership to the Houston Junior League. Apps are due Monday and I'm finalizing my signatures today. It's quite a process!

4. Training for the 1/2 marathon! It's really changed my life & schedule. I go to bed pretty early now so that I can be up for my 5 a.m. weekday runs. It has really changed my life more than I expected - my eating schedule is different, I peak in energy earlier in the day - its been fun!! I ran a 5K this morning, which was great!

5. And, I've been sparsely keeping up with our lovely house and seeing friends and family! Excited for another 2 weekends to be in town to do more of this!

Happy Fall!
B